Greater Boston

“Before BUILD, I skipped class and my grades were horrible. I now get As and Bs. I am the CFO of my own business. I want to study math in college, and I want to be a banker. Thanks to BUILD, my dreams are now goals.” —Romane

More than 100 dedicated volunteer mentors from the Boston business community meet with BUILD students every week. Mentors help cultivate our students’ business, academic, and life skills to prepare them for high school, college, and career success.

“When I joined BUILD, they told me I would go to college. They believed in me before I did.” —BUILD 11th grader

Key Statistics

400

Students Served

57

Student Businesses

96%

Students Accepted to a Post Secondary Institution

BUILD: Greater Boston

Much has been said and written about the dropout crisis in American cities and among minority students. Millions of tax dollars have been allocated toward improving urban schools. But is anything being done to effectively address this social justice issue?

In Boston, particularly at the lowest-performing schools, something is being done. Seven Boston high schools have partnered with BUILD, a non-profit that uses entrepreneurship to help students make the connection between academics and life. BUILD Boston enlists its own staff, BUILD-trained high school teachers, and more than 100 volunteer mentors from the business community to help students create and launch their own real, licensed businesses by the end of their freshman year. As students learn real-life skills, and earn real money, they begin to see the importance of doing well in school.

BUILD works with students for all four high school years, providing life skills training, college tours, and academic coaching. BUILD also offers students many opportunities to connect with the Boston business community to develop and refine their new skills and growing confidence.